diff --git a/docs/manual/working/javaGuide/main/sql/JavaEbean.md b/docs/manual/working/javaGuide/main/sql/JavaEbean.md
index e60eddf2..ef7102ee 100644
--- a/docs/manual/working/javaGuide/main/sql/JavaEbean.md
+++ b/docs/manual/working/javaGuide/main/sql/JavaEbean.md
@@ -45,6 +45,8 @@ As an example, the fairly common problem of reducing the sequence batch size in
 
 Make sure that such a class is covered by an `ebean.` config line, for example by putting it into the `models` package. Play Ebean registers the configured classes with Ebean explicitly, which disables Ebean's own classpath scanning, so Ebean silently ignores any `ServerConfigStartup` that is not covered.
 
+Note that Ebean doesn't read Play's `conf/application.conf`, so put Ebean's own settings (e.g. `ebean.migration.run`) into `conf/application.yaml`, which only Ebean reads, or into `conf/application.properties`. Play loads `conf/application.properties` as well, and Play Ebean ignores nested settings from there, like `ebean.migration.run`. However, a setting directly below `ebean.`, like `ebean.dumpMetricsOnShutdown=true`, looks like a list of models to Play Ebean, which only skips it because there's no database of that name. So prefer `conf/application.yaml` for such settings.
+
 Note that Ebean will also make use of a `conf/orm.xml` file (if present), to configure `<entity-mappings>`.
 
 #### Using a read replica
diff --git a/play-ebean/src/main/java/play/db/ebean/EbeanParsedConfig.java b/play-ebean/src/main/java/play/db/ebean/EbeanParsedConfig.java
index 0caa661c..6a25f0e9 100644
--- a/play-ebean/src/main/java/play/db/ebean/EbeanParsedConfig.java
+++ b/play-ebean/src/main/java/play/db/ebean/EbeanParsedConfig.java
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
+import play.Logger;
 
 /**
  * The raw parsed config from Ebean, as opposed to the EbeanConfig which actually requires starting
@@ -18,6 +19,8 @@
  */
 public class EbeanParsedConfig {
 
+  private static final Logger.ALogger LOGGER = Logger.of(EbeanParsedConfig.class);
+
   private final String defaultDatasource;
 
   private final Map<String, List<String>> datasourceModels;
@@ -118,8 +121,21 @@ public static EbeanParsedConfig parseFromConfig(Config config) {
                 if (raw.valueType() == ConfigValueType.STRING) {
                   // Support legacy comma separated string
                   models = Arrays.asList(((String) raw.unwrapped()).split(","));
-                } else {
+                } else if (raw.valueType() == ConfigValueType.LIST) {
                   models = ebeanConfig.getStringList(key);
+                } else {
+                  // No models, but e.g. one of Ebean's own settings, which Play also loads from
+                  // conf/application.properties
+                  if (raw.origin().description().contains(".conf")) {
+                    LOGGER.warn(
+                        "Ignoring {}.{} ({}), as it's no list of models and Ebean doesn't read"
+                            + " Play's configuration. Put Ebean's own settings into"
+                            + " conf/application.yaml or conf/application.properties instead.",
+                        ebeanConfigKey,
+                        key,
+                        raw.origin().description());
+                  }
+                  return;
                 }
 
                 datasourceModels.put(key, models);
diff --git a/play-ebean/src/test/java/play/db/ebean/EbeanParsedConfigTest.java b/play-ebean/src/test/java/play/db/ebean/EbeanParsedConfigTest.java
index 1987e384..fd8ea008 100644
--- a/play-ebean/src/test/java/play/db/ebean/EbeanParsedConfigTest.java
+++ b/play-ebean/src/test/java/play/db/ebean/EbeanParsedConfigTest.java
@@ -9,9 +9,12 @@
 
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMap;
 import com.typesafe.config.ConfigFactory;
+import com.typesafe.config.ConfigParseOptions;
+import com.typesafe.config.ConfigSyntax;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Set;
 import org.junit.*;
 
 public class EbeanParsedConfigTest {
@@ -43,6 +46,43 @@ public void withDataSources() {
     assertThat(config.getDatasourceModels().get("other"), hasItems("c"));
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void ignoresEbeanSettingsFromProperties() {
+    // Play also loads conf/application.properties, where all values are strings
+    EbeanParsedConfig config =
+        EbeanParsedConfig.parseFromConfig(
+            ConfigFactory.parseString(
+                    "ebean.default=a\n"
+                        + "ebean.other.databasePlatformName=h2\n"
+                        + "ebean.migration.run=false\n"
+                        + "ebean.dumpMetricsOnShutdown=true\n",
+                    ConfigParseOptions.defaults().setSyntax(ConfigSyntax.PROPERTIES))
+                .withFallback(ConfigFactory.defaultReference()));
+    // Nested settings get ignored, while a setting directly below ebean. looks like a list of
+    // models (of an Ebean server without a database, so it gets skipped later on)
+    assertThat(
+        config.getDatasourceModels().keySet(), equalTo(Set.of("default", "dumpMetricsOnShutdown")));
+    assertThat(config.getDatasourceModels().get("default"), hasItems("a"));
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void ignoresEbeanSettings() {
+    // Ebean's own settings in a .conf file (which Ebean doesn't read, though)
+    EbeanParsedConfig config =
+        parse(
+            ImmutableMap.of(
+                "ebean.default",
+                Collections.singletonList("a"),
+                "ebean.other.databasePlatformName",
+                "h2",
+                "ebean.migration.run",
+                false,
+                "ebean.dumpMetricsOnShutdown",
+                true));
+    assertThat(config.getDatasourceModels().keySet(), equalTo(Collections.singleton("default")));
+    assertThat(config.getDatasourceModels().get("default"), hasItems("a"));
+  }
+
   @Test
   public void commaSeparatedModels() {
     EbeanParsedConfig config = parse(ImmutableMap.of("ebean.default", "a,b"));